Tag Archives: Wi-Fi

It seems every accessories maker out there is working on accessories for iPhone 5 that boost something. There are iPhone cases with external battery to extend your battery life. And now, a new iPhone 5 carrying case from Absolute Tech may just boost your Wi-Fi.

Gizmodo reported this week on Absolute Tech's latest gadget, the Linkase, an iPhone 5 case that's supposed to help you get better Wi-Fi reception on your phone using electro magnetic waveguide (EMW) technology. For users with limited data plans, an iPhone accessory that helps lower overage costs probably sounds like a godsend.

Absolute Tech's Linkase iPhone 5 case in Blue

But Gizmodo isn't totally convinced and here's why. Though Absolute Tech's website runs through an explanation of how this EMW technology works, Gizmodo notes that this is still "a bit of a gray area that seems to border on snake oil."

However, EMW isn't the only reason Absolute Tech says the Linkase works. Rather the accessory also seems to prevent users from covering the iPhone antenna, and even includes and antenna extension. Both of these things should actually help you catch a better signal.

Though whether this iPhone carrying case can boost your Wi-Fi by 50 percent as promised is still up for debate. And at $50 a pop, taking a chance and testing out this iPhone accessory isn't exactly cheap.

As for the other aspects of the Linkase, it does seem to be a thoughtfully designed and well constructed case. WIth a multilayered design, it combines a polycarbonate backing with a raised rubber bevel and non-slip leather coating on the exterior.

With a slim design, and available in some bright colors, it's also pretty attractive (aside from the whole raised antenna thing.)

So would we recommend the Linkase? If it came from a trusted name like Griffin or Incase, we would in a heartbeat. But we're going to have to go with Gizmodo on this, and say that this is one iPhone 5 accessory that needs to be put to the test to see if it really delivers on everything it promises.

This week, Verizon customers fell victim to an iPhone 5 bug that sucked data like a vampire

Just in time for Halloween, Verizon has unleashed a horrible and terrifying monster: it's the fabled iPhone 5 data vampire, and for Verizon subscribers lucky (or unlucky?) enough to have Apple's latest smartphone, it's causing huge overages.

"I have had an iPhone on AT&T since launch. I never went over a gig in any month," wrote one such user in the Mac Rumors forum. "I have used half a gig [on the iPhone 5] in 2 days with Verizon! Worse, it uses LTE while I am at home with a rock solid Wi-Fi connection. If I turn cellular off altogether I can still see, for example, a YouTube video. But if I leave it on, while still connected with wifi, it sucks data like a vampire. WTF??? And, all day, it leaks data even with no apps running!"

The bug has been a common one for Verizon subscribers using the iPhone 5, causing most of them to go through insane amounts of data in a really short period of time.

Fortunately, there is a way to slay this monter, but it's not with a wooden stake. Instead, Apple has offered a patch available directly on the iPhone 5 that should fix the issue quickly and without too much hassle.

To install it, go to Settings > General > About, and wait for the following message and follow the instructions.

Apple swiftly offered an update for Verizon subscribers on the iPhone 5

"Basically, turn your phone off and on again," says Gizmodo. "After doing that, you should check to make sure the carrier software has been changed to Verizon 13.1."

Aside from the fact that your iPhone should stop sucking data like Dracula at the blood bank, there's also another piece of good news. Verizon issued a statement clarifying that they're aware of the bug and won't be charging subscribers for the overages it has caused:

"Under certain circumstances, iPhone 5 may use Verizon cellular data while the phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network. Apple has a fix that is being delivered to Verizon customers right on their iPhone 5. Verizon Wireless customers will not be charged for any unwarranted cellular data usage."

The WiFi Alliance’s primary intention is to certify hotspots. The specification it’s using is the result of cooperation between service providers and equipment manufacturers, with the aim of creating an industry-wide solution for shared WiFi access and roaming agreements.

Hardware manufactures like Cisco, Intel, MediaTek and Qualcomm have already received Passpoint certification. Once the hardware testing is complete, it will be up to the service providers to show a little spirit of cooperation.

HTC has just confirmed that a hardware problem is causing Wi-Fi connectivity issues with their HTC One X smartphone. To verify if your One X smartphone is defective... simply run the Wi-Fi squeeze test if the signal strength improves - it confirms that the device is defective.

The company is obviously faced with a tough hardware problem. A software update isn’t the answer. This isn’t the first time HTC has had Wi-Fi signal problems. Awhile back its HTC Sensation suffered from antenna design problems.

HTC has stepped up early and accepted blame. In a public statement a company rep said: "After investigating isolated reports of Wi-Fi connectivity issues in the HTC One X, we have identified a fix that strengthens the area of the phone around the Wi-Fi antennae connection points. While many customers have not experienced any problems with signal strength, we have taken immediate steps to implement a solution in our production process to prevent this issue from happening in the future. HTC is committed to making sure every customer has a great experience and we apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused while we conducted a thorough investigation."

This statement describes the production changes going forward, but there still doesn’t appear to be a plan for dealing with the defective phones already in consumer hands. Everyone is covered by the warranty replacement protection, so if you think your phone has the problem, take it back to the point of purchase right away. Don’t let the warranty period expire.

We hope HTC takes their corrective action one step further and provides protection for this defect to One X owners on an unlimited basis. What’s to say the problem couldn’t pop up in these phones at a later date?